Be Holding (2020) by Ross Gay
Ross Gay is a beautiful human being who writes the most beautiful poetry. He uses words to float ideas as effortlessly as Dr. J's move which inspired this book-length poem. Ross holds the readers in the palm of his hand, balancing us carefully between the words and their meaning, the words and their unmeaning, the words and pictures they paint, the pictures that accompany the words and ideas that complement the pictures. He reminds us to be holding each other and in holding to see each other--to see where the other has been and where they are. Who the other is and who they have been...and who they and we can be. Ross makes us delight in language as he weaves language into magic right before our eyes.
But he also reminds us that in looking we witness the hurts as well as the triumphs...
" we do unwittingly when witnessing the unwitnessable"
and in the holding we should care for the hurting and be holding unholdable. He makes us realize that we are connected--we are all here to bear witness to the unwitnessable and hold what cannot be held. And to support one another in this way is the only be holding that is worthwhile. ★★★★★
First line: You might have noticed there's nowhere to go
Last line: we breathe
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